Chapter 9: Awaken hidden abilities

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"Welcome!"

As Jason pushed the door open and entered, a voice full of energy immediately greeted him.

He saw a muscular man standing behind the counter in the store, with a long scar on his bald head. At first glance, he didn't look like a typical shop owner, but rather an experienced soldier.

"Hello!"

Jason didn't have the habit of judging people by their appearance, and having read the original book, he naturally recognized the owner of the weapon shop.

At the same time, he confirmed that he wasn't in the wrong store. This was indeed the boss with a pretty good personality in the original book.

"This customer seems very unfamiliar. It must be his first time visiting. Customers who know our store have a distinctive perspective."

With a hearty smile on his face, the boss boasted confidently.

"It is indeed my first time here, but boss, you have a unique way of praising people. Are you complimenting my good eye, or your own weapon shop?"

Jason walked toward the counter slowly, speaking in a familiar tone.

"Haha... That may be true, but to be honest, the equipment here is genuinely excellent, so... what kind of equipment are you looking for?"

The boss smiled warmly again, skillfully shifting the topic to business.

"Let me look around first!"

Jason glanced around, examining the equipment in the store.

Although it wasn't very necessary for him to equip himself with anything at the moment, at least it could slightly increase his combat power. As the saying goes, even the smallest mosquito is still meat, so any increase is beneficial.

"Then let me ask, what is your budget? That's right, I can recommend suitable equipment based on your budget, which should save you a lot of time."

The boss looked at Jason and asked kindly.

"It's within the range of 300 silver coins. You must have noticed that I'm a new adventurer, so please recommend something suitable for me."

Jason thought for a moment. Even though he had received 800 silver coins from the king, he anticipated future expenses would be significant.

After all, with his current strength and the double experience card, his upgrade speed should be much faster than Iwatani Naofumi's, implying that he will need to change equipment more frequently, which inevitably requires higher costs.

"300 silver coins? Let's choose a weapon first. An adventurer can't defeat enemies without a weapon."

The boss noticed that Jason was only carrying a shield and no weapons, so he recommended a few long swords, placing them on the counter: "These long swords all have an anti-blood stain coating function, so I personally recommend them."

"Oh... the so-called blood stain resistance means the surface of the long sword is treated to prevent blood from adhering, ensuring the blade doesn't dull. This makes it more suitable for novice adventurers to use over long periods."

The boss explained patiently and expertly.

"So, a weapon that maintains sharpness for a long time is really convenient."

Hearing the explanation, Jason looked curiously at the several long swords displayed in front of him on the counter.

Each long sword had a distinctive metallic texture, and even as a layman, Jason could immediately ascertain that the quality of these swords was quite high, certainly incomparable to kitchen knives or watermelon knives from the original world.

"The materials from left to right are iron, magic iron, magic steel, and silver iron. Although the prices increase accordingly, the quality will satisfy you. Of course... there are more high-end weapons in the store, but if your budget is only 300 silver coins, you can only purchase equipment of this level."

At this point, the boss continued to introduce the options tactfully, ensuring that the guest did not feel discriminated against due to a limited budget.

Additionally, his words indicated that this world has a variety of metals used for crafting weapons, not just traditional ones like steel.

"I see."

Jason nodded and reached out to pick up the first iron sword on the counter, immediately noticing its heavy weight in his hand.

Previously, Jason might have thought that this sword was too heavy, hindering his movements. After all, it was a weapon forged from iron, but now, after several rounds of strength enhancement, he could completely disregard its weight.

Just as Jason was about to swing the sword, he suddenly felt a jolt of electricity in his hand, as if the iron sword was going to be shaken from his grip. With such a strong force, his whole body could have been thrown backwards.

A message appeared in his line of sight:

[Violation of the prohibition of legendary weapons: Unable to equip special weapons]

Having read the original book, Jason understood that as a Shield Hero, he was unable to wield other types of weapons.

"This is no different from the original work, but it's not enough to make me let go!"

Despite the persistent tingling in his palm and the immense force trying to shake him free, Jason grinned and held firmly onto the long sword.

He's not someone who shies away just because others tell him not to do something.

"As a world traveler, I've come to this world to do as I please. Blocking me with these broken rules? I'll take whatever I want!"

Jason clenched his teeth as veins bulged in his arm, twisting like centipedes, while enduring the tingling sensation in his palm.

An ordinary long sword was indeed worthless to him.

Jason's frustration stemmed from being constrained by rules and regulations—even if they were divine decrees, he refused to be bound by them.

Instead of just wielding the sword, he was actively defying this world's rules.

While straining against the rules, a voice sounded in his mind:

"Ding! Please choose."

"1: Give up resisting the rules; no reward for the weak-willed."

"2: Resist the rules for 5 minutes and earn a triple experience card for 12 hours."

"3: Resist the rules for 10 minutes and earn a triple experience card for 24 hours."

Jason didn't respond verbally to the system, as he had already made his choice through action.

As each second ticked by, Jason's expression grew fierce, low growls escaping his lips, while his forehead was covered in sweat.

He felt the current from the sword's handle intensify, and his hand began to lose sensation.

Yet, he still clutched the long sword tightly.

The boss, watching from behind the counter, looked bewildered.

Initially, there had only been faint sparks in Jason's hand when he grasped the sword, but now, electric tendrils enveloped him, almost completely surrounding his body.

"What's going on? This sword of mine shouldn't be enchanted with lightning magic!" the boss muttered. As Jason's condition deteriorated, he finally shouted, "Guest...guest, what's happening?"

Hearing the boss's voice, Jason's taut nerves finally relaxed. The long sword flew from his grip, soaring through the air and barely missing the boss's cheek before lodging itself in the wall behind him.

Jason stumbled back a few steps and then collapsed onto the ground as if all his strength had left him.

"Phew~~~ Hoo~~~ As I suspected, my current strength isn't enough to challenge this world's rules, not by willpower alone."

Jason took a few deep breaths to steady himself, and a voice echoed in his head:

"Ding! Selection conditions met. Reward: triple experience card for 24 hours. This experience card can be used at any time, and paused at will. When paused, usage time will not be consumed."

"It's really convenient to be able to pause the triple experience card's usage at will," Jason muttered, his eyes drawn to the shield on his arm.

At that moment, an interface appeared on the shield, displaying several icons.

A series of icons extended from one of them:

[Shield] → [Shield of Resistance] → [Shield of Will]

[Improves your willpower, increases all resistances by 50%]

There was also a small '1' beneath the 'Shield of Will' icon, indicating a level, suggesting it could be upgraded.

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